Omaha daily bee., 1887-12-17
DESPOILERS OF THE DEAD
A Trio Of Iowa Grave Robbers Cap.
tured in the Act.
NOCTURNAL VISITORS NABBED
The Town of Mitchclivillc Greatly Ep
cited and Threats OF Lynching
Freely Made The Mis-.
Crcants Jailed.
Boby-Snatchcrs Capturcd,

BODY -Snatchcrs Captured.
DEs MoiNEs, Ia, Dec. To- Especial TelN
gram to the BEE There was u startling
case OF attempted grave robbery few miles
from this city early this morning, in which
the robbers We're caught in the act and mar
rowly escaped lynching. On Wednesday Mrs,
Catharine Clai'n, aged sixty, mother-inaW
OF q former resident of this city, was buried
in the cemetery at Mitchellville, having died
on Monday of pneumonia. That day parties
at Mitchcllvile which is at the eastern edge
of this county, received an anonymous letter
saying that the grave might be robbed and
that it would be we'll to be on the watch.
That night Constable j. w. Jones, l.. +. Kel.
ley and w. w. Hedges watched the grave all
night, but no one disturbed the good womans
last resting place. Yesterday man was sent
to watch the trains and he saw young man
since identified as c. 5. Porter, one of the
-robbers-get off the train from Des
Moines at IL o'clock. Porter went to tho
cemetery and was shadowed He went to
the northwest corner, climbed over
the fence, looked around, went cast d
quarter of u mile, then returned to tho
cemetery, then south to the railroad, over to
the depot and home on the noon train which
was late, or he could not have made it. Last
Patterson and Lyman Knowlton watched the
grave. They heard nothing till O'Clock this
morning, when wagon drove up from the
west with three grave robbers with shovels,
trunk, etc. Two of the men got out at tho
west gate and the driver then drove round to
the east side of the cemetery and stayed in
the wagon. The faithful guards watched
quietly for about half an hour, while tho
other two men proceeded to throw the earth
AZ cd y,,nv nf lnf
When the Williams were within Il foot of the
coffin, so deep that they were out of sight,
the guards closed in on them and took them
completely by surprise. They said nothing
and submitted to arrest without resistance. .
The driver OF the wagon was then taken into
custody and the three prisoners taken intd
the store of j. Fl. Jones, in Mitchcllville, where
they proved to be DR.. Thomas j. Jones,
well known druggist living in South Des-
Moines, G.. 5. Porter, an eclecic medical
student, and +. w. Pothoff, u huckster, and
son-n-law of Mr.. Webbcr, the brewer Of
this city. The most intense excitement pre-
vailed at Mitchellvile and threats of lynch.
ing were freely made. In order tC avoid vio-
lence the officers brought them to DesNfones
on the O'Clock train this morning. 1nfOr-
nation charging them with the violation of q
scpulchre and exposure of dead bodies waa
filed againt them before Justice Colender,
who fixed Monday, December 26, for ther
preliminary hearing and put them under
bonds of 81 900 each, pending the finding Of
Jail.
Mr.. E. X. Clofton husband of the lady
whose grave was thus desecrated, ID
an amiable and highly respected gentleman,
whose face is familiar one about the court
house, where he sometimes serves on juries.
He said that the worst feature of the crime
was the trunk tarred inside, in which they
intended to place his wifcs remains.
1t being reported that Jones and Porter
acknowledged the crime, of which the pen-
atty is two yeacs' imprisonment in the peni-
tcntiary, whether the attempted crave rob.
berry is successful or not, and that Potthoft
positively denied all knowledge of the pur-
jose OF the others, a reporter visited the
three in jail. Jones is Il small man about
thirty-iive years of age. Porter is taller and
positively older. Potthoff is II supplemented
and honcst-loolSing German, probably thirty
years old. The reporter asked them how
they came to commit the act for which they
were imprisoned. Dr. Jones began to talls
freely.
"Thngs are just about this way" said he.
1--WE are medical students at the eclectic
college. Before we can practice we have to
graduate, before we can graduate we must
dissect, and before we dissect we have TO
have subjects to-
the gravity of their situation, interposed and
pleaded with DR.. Jones not to put it that
way, as it would create bad impression.
"You can say this" said Porter There
was good deal of feeling and some talk Of
violence against at Mitchclvillc, but
when they heard what we hc to say they felt
more kindly towards us"
Potthoff, the man who drove the wagon,
declared in broken English that he Had no
idea Of what the men were doing, and both
Jones and Porter declared that this was
true.
Porterlives at Macksburg, Madison county,
and all three Of the prisoners married
men.